Keel Ships and the Khitan Crossroads
Khitan tribe
Once Ögedei dies, a bloody power struggle will erupt among the Mongols. Of course, "bloody" is just a figure of speech—in the end, after Ögedei's death, power falls into the hands of Töregene Khatun, his sixth wife and Guyuk's mother, who installs her son as the successor.
But if the western expedition had proceeded as in original history, Guyuk and Batu would have clashed, delaying the rise of a new Great Khan by five years. Even then, Guyuk only lasts two years before dying.
From our Goryeo's perspective, while those horse-archers are busy massacring their way through the west, we'll have more than enough time to leapfrog across to America. First, we'll pioneer the new sea route while pushing north.
"For the army, we'll keep up constant vigilance, while expanding the fleet at the same time."
"Do we really need to open a route to the Great Song right now and head to that new continent? Isn't this a bit overreaching?"
This time it was Yi Jang-yong speaking. Unlike the officials showing interest in the new continent, he was more grounded in reality. They'd just tallied the Khitan numbers not long ago, so he probably saw this as reckless. With so many of them, pulling too much from the navy could leave Yodong vulnerable to a Khitan uprising. These guys had rebuilt the Liao dynasty multiple times—they were tough bastards. Even the ones who'd flooded into Goryeo had tried rebuilding their nation here.
"We're pushing a direct route to the Great Song regardless, but at the same time, we'll head north."
Splitting forces for rapid advances on both fronts was key. We were at the peak of economic and military power—this was the moment to seize.
"That'll make for quite the large fleet."
Not that large. A few thousand at most? Keel ships were still just ships, after all, and building even one took forever.
I shook my head, imagining Goryeo's keel ships cutting through the open ocean.
"No, not that massive. Let me show you a keel ship first."
It had taken several attempts, but we'd finally built one. Perfect timing now that the one from the southern seas had arrived at Byeokrando.
"This thing is enormous. You actually built this?"
"Your Military Regent can do anything."
I nearly died making this damn thing. Yi Jang-yong wasn't wrong to blow up earlier. Why? Goryeo's southern coast was a nightmare terrain for shipbuilding, even if it was ideal in theory. Flat-bottomed ships were doable, but keels? A pain in the ass. We needed slipways and primitive dry docks.
Slipways especially meant extending wooden bridges into the sea, docking at deep-water ends. But plain timber was hell to repair. Driving long logs deep into the mudflats for pillars had limits—rot, load-bearing issues, length constraints. Stone embankments were too hard and took decades. I didn't have that time.
So, formwork. Rectangular wooden molds sunk into the sea, filled with gravel and lime-based mortar—what I'd call hydraulic lime concrete. A few days later, remove the forms, and chemical reactions hardened it into artificial rock pillars. Durable as stone, no carving needed.
And what was this mortar? Cement. Craftsmen already knew lime; I had them grind limestone 3:1 with clay into powder, mix with water or dry, fire it intensely in celadon kilns with extra fuel, then mill it via waterwheel. Boom—cement powder. Mix with gypsum powder and water for cement mortar. That's how we made the artificial stone pillars.
"These pillars for the shipyard must have cost a fortune, not to mention the ship itself."
Aaah, the insane resources and treasury drain. At least we'd squeezed plenty from Song. Iron cannons were exporting nicely. Even the Jin, seeing Song snag Goryeo weapons, were ramping up raids—but building factories was pricier, so they imported more. Jin cavalry were scouring everywhere for tribute to the Mongols. Song had no choice but to buy from us. Vicious cycle: Song groveled to Goryeo, buying arms like crazy. Made us closer than ever. Jin couldn't interfere—they weren't in a position to attack Goryeo anyway. The moment they begged us to handle the Mongols, we became equals. What did it matter what we did? Furious Jin could at best wreck Song's factories—which they did, escalating raids until Song went full defense. One attempt to produce iron cannons got smashed.
Just build inland, right? Nah, importing from Goryeo was cheaper. With their army reforming amid constant raids, buying ready-made beat starting from scratch. Textbook case.
Why bring up Song now? Listen up. We're raking it in from them—enough to buy timber from the Khitans for keel ships, hiring experts to build. How perfect is that?
"Song's tribute silver is plentiful. We buy timber with it, train shipwrights—that's all."
No way this keel popped up overnight. First builds meant endless failures. Without Song's cash, it'd have been brutal.
"You sold weapons to Song?"
"Obviously. Iron cannons cost 2-3 nyang in silver to make, cannons 30-40. We sell at ten times that. Treasury never runs dry."
The officials couldn't hide their awe. Extorting the great Song like common thugs.
"This ship can really cross the ocean?"
"Yes. It'll sail the vast seas, revealing not just Song, Jin, and our Goryeo—but nations great and small across the world."
While Joseon could only dream of this, leeching crumbs from China, my Goryeo would roam the globe. Western records would fill with us; decades later, we'd sweep America's gold into Goryeo.
"Exactly. The keel fleet's laborers and some navy will be Khitans. They need purpose."
They'd be suspicious of our hands-off approach. Leaving 400,000 "eastern Liao" Khitans unchecked risked rebellion.
"Military Regent, the Khitans? Can we trust those barbarians?"
What's not to trust? Raising water buffalo had drawn in northern Khitans and Jurchens. They handled slaughter diligently, earning better treatment—not as butchers, but turning worthless livestock into meat, stripping local Khitan elites' assets. Boosted their image. Jurchens who aided in the Mongol wars? Even better. Turning Khitans into true Goryeo subjects wasn't impossible—with conditions.
"If Khitans want to live as Goryeo subjects, we open the path. Above all, we scatter them."
About 400,000 Khitans crammed southern Yodong Peninsula, minus those who fled to Mongols. Staying meant submission. I'd relocate them. In original history, Yuan absorbed them fully—but here, Goryeo's Yodong influence brought them under us. Yuan had four-tier castes by ethnicity. Goryeo wouldn't. No ethnic hierarchies for true assimilation. Accept our terms to become Goryeo folk.
First, relocate some to the mainland to thin them out.
Around this time, the Khitans on the Yodong Peninsula were in limbo. After the Mongol defeat, some followed to Mongolia, or only favored leaders got taken. Left: 400,000.
With their fiery tempers, they could've resisted Goryeo—but...
"How do you beat guys who crushed Mongolia twice?"
First win? Luck. Second? No way. They'd lost their nation, become Jin puppets, then dissolved on Mongol whim. Now Yodong was Goryeo's, who'd swiftly absorbed Manchu Jurchens. Khitans couldn't afford to provoke.
They'd just gone along with local Goryeo and Jurchen officials, awaiting judgment.
Then one day...
"Goryeo's doing a census."
"What do they want from us?"
Goryeo-Khitan relations? "Good" was a stretch. Liao had crushed Bohai, Goryeo's kin; decades of raids, mass slaughters, uneasy peaces broken by skirmishes. Post-Jin, little contact—until Jin's fall drove Khitans here. No love lost.
They weren't suicidal against rising Goryeo power.
"What happens to us?"
"Not all, but you'll likely relocate."
Relocate? Like Jin scattering them into China?
"Pardon?"
"Yodong was always Goryeo land. Only Goryeo folk belong here."
"Abandon our homes? You're expelling us?"
"To the Goryeo mainland. Hate it? Become Goryeo folk."
Investigators laid out terms: loyalty to the state and king. Keep Khitan tongue, names, customs—but learn Goryeo speech, use Goryeo names too.
"Can't? We won't arrest or kill—leave if you want. But see how Jurchens became Goryeo folk and got offices? No reason you can't. Our Military Regent never discriminates by blood."
Liao-less Khitans? Jin slaves, Mongol pawns.
"We'll let you live, but China relocation package—and some discrimination since you're different~"
"Brothers, right? Let's thrive together. Oh, fight for us?"
Better than oppressive Jin or exploitative Mongols. Same endgame, maybe—but no immediate schemes.
"Goryeo wields world-shattering weapons. Resist, and die."
"It's just the original owners reclaiming Yodong."
"No discrimination if we become Goryeo folk, right?"
With leaders gone Mongol-ward, remaining Khitans chose Goryeo citizenship. No forced assimilation promised.
Most opted in. Opportunity knocked for Khitans.
"Yodong Byeolcho seeks volunteers for Goryeo service."
"Work the fleet, live without want."
Under Goryeo, Khitans faced no prejudice.